Driving mechanism for watercraft



May 5, 1959 A. MASTA 2;884,890 v DRIVING MECHANISM FOR WATERCRAFT Filed Nov. 22, 1955 ELE'T-J- INVENTOR. AL exmvom Mns m United States Patent 2,884,890 DRIVING MECHANISM FOR WATERCRAFT Alexander Masta, Wyandotte, Mich. Application November 22, 1955, Serial No. 548,422 1 Claim. (Cl. 115-42) This invention relates to driving mechanism for watercraft, and more particularly to a type of propeller construction especially adapted for use in driving large vessels.

It is common knowledge, that rotating propellers on marine vessels severely agitate the surrounding water, and produce a turbulent wash clearly evident in the wake of the vessel. This wash from the propellers represents wasted power, and necessarily results in a lower operating efiiciency for the driving mechanism.

Fully aware of this condition, the applicant has, as the primary object of his invention, the provision of a driving mechanism for Watercraft which utilizes the propeller wash to impart additional driving thrust to the vessel.

Another object of the invention is to provide a driving mechanism of the type previously described which is relatively inexpensive and may be conveniently installed on watercraft equipped with a conventional drive.

A further object of the invention is to provide a driving mechanism of the type previously described which is extremely easy to service and maintain.

Additional features andadvantages of the invention will become apparent after consideration of a detailed discussion of the same composed with reference to the accompanying drawings constituting a portion of this application, and in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing the applicants device installed on the stern of a conventional vessel, with a portion of the drum and bearing supports broken away to show details of construction.

Figure 2 is a section view taken substantially on plane 22 in Figure 1 showing the lateral deflector vanes and the drum support members.

For a detailed description of the invention, reference is made to the drawings in which numeral designates the stern portion of a marine hull, having a keel 12 and a rudder 14. A drive shaft 16 extends rearwardly from the stem 10, partially supported for rotation by a hear ing 18 in the keel 12. A pair of two bladed propellers 20 and 22 are removably mounted on the drive shaft 16 in an axially spaced relationship.

The propellers 20 and 22 are preferably mounted so that the blades thereon are disposed in a substantially degree angular relationship around the driven shaft 16. A metal drum 24, adapted to completely enclose the propellers, is welded or otherwise suitably attached to the stern 10. A pair of support brackets 26 are provided on the drum 24, and fixed to the keel 12.

A diametral bracket 28 is fixedly mounted in the aft end of the drum 24, and provided with a central bearing 30 for supporting the free end of the drive shaft 16. A laterally disposed deflector vane 32 is mounted on each side of the stem 10 adjacent the upper side of the drum 24.

The applicant is of the opinion that his invention, herein disclosed, has fulfilled a long felt need in the field of marine engineering, and that he has made an extremely valuable contribution to the related art. However, while the invention was described with reference to the structural details of a single embodiment, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that the principles therein involved are susceptible of numerous other applications.

Therefore, I claim as new, Letters Patent:

In a drive for a marine vessel, a driven shaft projecting beyond the stern of the vessel, a drum around the driven shaft, a diametral bracket in the rear portion of the drum, a bearing in the di-ametral bracket supporting the driven shaft, at least one propeller mounted on the driven shaft within the drum and a laterally disposed vane on each side of the drum adjacent the top side thereof.

and desire to secure by References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 132,288 Hough Oct. 15, 1872 754,710 Schetzel Mar. 15, 1904 804,497 Palmer Nov. 14, 1905 904,372 Soelt Nov. 17, 1908 FOREIGN PATENTS 160,588 Austria Aug. 11, 1941 385,958 France Apr. 3, 1908 

